Innovation is one of the central ideologies of our age. As part of this broader trend, also the practices and processes in which innovations are created are subject to ongoing renewal. Specifically the questions of (1) who/what partakes in innovation activities, (2) how roles and responsibilities are distributed, and (3) how innovation settings and atmospheres are designed, have become key questions in contemporary society. While innovation is tightly interconnected with paradigms of creativity and novelty (see e.g. Schumpeter 1954), the dominance of the “Silicon Valley innovation model,” or the rise of “Industrie 4.0” bear witness to isomorphic tendencies of imitation and homogenization when it comes to handle the pressures and risks as posed by innovation. Between novelty and imitation, the organization of innovation represents a powerful means for societal change. The project develops the device of the ‘innovation script’ to empirically explore these dynamics. A broad range of organizations operating in the triple helix of industry, government, and academia in the industrial region of Upper Austria build the empirical exploration ground therefore. The project, moreover, seeks to perform arts-based research and makes use of the dramaturgical and productive potential of the concept of the script. It does so in collaboration with the “Kraftwerk – Triebwerk der Forschung, opens an external URL in a new window” – a joint initiative of the Johannes Kepler Universität (JKU), the Kunstuniversität Linz (UFG), and the Tabakfabrik Linz (TFL). In a transdisciplinary effort, existing innovation scripts are put into question and new ones written.

Lecture ‚Drehbücher der Innovation‘ bei Theater & Netz Vol. 7 in Berlin 2019:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC6X3sWkau8&t=698s, opens an external URL in a new window